A number of observations hints for the presence of an intermediate mass black hole (IMBH) in the core of three globular clusters: M15 and NGC 6752 in the Milky Way, and G1, in M31. However the existence of these IMBHs is far form being conclusive. In this paper, we review their main formation channels and explore possible observational signs that a single or binary IMBH can imprint on cluster s...

We compute the effective action for scattering of three well-separated extremal brane solutions, in 11d supergravity, with zero p− transfer and small transverse velocities. Using an interpretation of the conjecture of Maldacena, following Hyun, this can be viewed as the large N limit of the Matrix theory description of three supergraviton scattering at leading order. The result is consistent wi...

In order to test the prevailing paradigm of horizontal-branch (HB) stellar evolution, we use the large databases of measured RR Lyrae parameters for the globular cluster M3 (NGC 5272) recently provided by Bakos et al. and Corwin & Carney. We compare the observed distribution of fundamentalized periods against the predictions of synthetic HBs. The observed distribution shows a sharp peak at Pf ≈...

New measurements of the velocity dispersion of the globular cluster ω Centauri allow to trace its gravitational potential down to an acceleration of 8 × 10 cm s. It is found that the dispersion profile remains flat well inside the tidal radius as soon as the acceleration of gravity approaches a0, a result that finds its simplest explanation within the contest of MOND. A similar behavior is obse...

In this paper, we examine whether frictions created by differences in firm boundaries affect the speed with which firms adopt new Information Technology. Using a rich dataset on organizational characteristics and Internet investment by over 100 firms in the insurance industry, we show that vertical integration in distribution has a significant impact on the speed with which insurers adopt consu...

Messier 15 (NGC 7078) is an old and metal-poor post core-collapse globular cluster which hosts a rich population of variable stars. We report new optical ($gi$) near-infrared (NIR, $JK_s$) multi-epoch observations for 129 RR Lyrae, 4 Population II Cepheids (3 BL Herculis, 1 W Virginis), anomalous Cepheid candidate in M15 obtained using the MegaCam WIRCam instruments on 3.6-m Canada-France-Hawai...